Making the Most…

Sometimes you may go to an event that does not meet your expectations. What do you do? Do you turn around and go home or do you make the most of it? Judi and I feel that you should stay and try to “make the most of it”. Who knows, you might just be surprised! There may be something you missed at first look, an exciting ride, an interesting exhibit or, perhaps a later event. Having an open mind and looking a little harder may reveal a real “gem”. The big thing is to find a schedule of events or to approach an event organizer to find out what “things of interest” are happening later in the day. If after checking things out there is still nothing of interest, don’t let the disappointment ruin your entire outing! Look for other forms of entertainment.

Here are a few ideas.
* See if there is a fun park close by or an interesting attraction close by and then check it out
* Try taking a unique route home. One that you haven’t traveled before. There may be interesting towns and landscapes along the way.
* Stop along the way and visit unique and fun shops
* Depending on the time of year and the region you are traveling, there may be other things to interest you. For example, if you are traveling in the Niagara region or Prince Edward County there are lots of vineyards to explore. If you are in the Kitchener-Waterloo area, there are many beautiful farms and quaint hamlets to investigate
* If you’ve planned ahead like Judi and I do, you will have packed a picnic lunch. Find a scenic place to stop, relax and eat. If you have also packed some games for the kids, this would be a good time and place for them to “blow off steam” and have some fun
* Make arrangements to visit friends or family along the way back home

Some of the ideas outlined above may take a little pre-planning, but I think you will be glad that you took my advice! It’s not that you are looking for a “bad” festival or event. It’s just that you are aware of the possibility! Whatever you decide to do, make the most of your day!

How Not to Pack!

In order to save on the cost of going to festivals and events and to eat healthier meals, Judi has been making and packing picnic lunches for us to take to the festivals and events we visit! We’ve been doing this since the beginning of August and it’s been going very well, until now! Each time Judi carefully thinks through what we are going to eat and what she needs to pack. She includes such things as forks, knives, spoons, salt, napkins, etc., all of this along with our food and beverages. To preserve the food in the hot weather and to keep our drinks cool, we have a thermal lined picnic bag. As I said, all was well until last week! Judi prepared and packed the food as usual. Our recyclable water bottles were freshly filled and also packed. We loaded everything into our car and then headed for our destination! We were going to visit the event in the morning and then head to Wellington to visit my brother Chuck and his wife, Flo. After the festival visit we went back to the car, ready to have our picnic lunch. We wanted to eat before we headed out to Chuck and Flo’s. Judi opened the thermal bag and let out a loud scream and then a low moan! This was followed by a few well chosen words! I can’t repeat them here! The bottom of the bag was completely filled with WATER! We had just purchased new water bottles and had not tested them out! The contents of the water bottles had leaked! Everything was soaked and the water bottles were empty! Even though the sandwiches had been carefully wrapped, the water had managed to seep in! They were just nicely soggy! I was hungry and needed eat, so I suck in a big breath and bit into the soggy sandwich! Needless to say, the lunch was not quite what we had in mind when we started out that morning! So, here is my FESTIVAL NOMAD advice for the day… “Check out your new water bottles for leaks BEFORE you pack them with your lunch!” Also, take your mother’s advice, “Never eat a soggy sandwich!”

Participation…

Every once in a while Judi and I get to participate in one of the events we visit. Sometimes it’s by chance and other times it’s by choice. Whatever the circumstances, we always have fun and feel privileged that we were asked. The Festival of Textiles at Lang Pioneer Village is a good example. It all started with a simple e-mail from Lang’s Special Events co-coordinator, Laurie Siblock. Her e-mail simply said “Are you still coming to our Festival of Textiles and if you are, would you and Judi like to be one of our period fashion models?” The answer to the first part of the question was “yes”. The answer to the second part of the question wasn’t quite as simple! If I was going to participate, I wanted Judi to do it too. Judi doesn’t like too much limelight! She likes to stay in the background! This was going to be a big “leap” for her! Finally after much hesitation, Judi agreed to participate with me. The next hurdle was finding out if they had clothes to fit us. It would be no problem fitting Judi, but for me, that’s another story! We sent our measurements to Laurie and eventually received a message that we were both in. Fortunately the women who had made and was supplying the outfits had a relative with a similar size and shape to mine! We were now committed! Soon the Festival date arrived and we made our way to the Village. We had never participated in anything like this before, so we didn’t know what to expect. As I have said before, at most festivals and events Judi and I like to fade into he background and not be up front and central! Actually, there were going to be some 44 models, including us, participating, so our “spotlight” was going to be fairly short and sweet! Still, we did have to dress up and become something we weren’t use to. We arrived at the Village on time for the pre-show information meeting. There we others, like us, who had never “dressed up” before, so we didn’t feel alone. Once the meeting was over and the instructions given, we walked to the dressing area, Judi to the women’s and me to the men’s. Everything had been laid out perfectly. Each outfit was labeled with the participants name and a volunteer “helper” (the outfitters husband!) was there to lend a hand! A good thing for me as the boots I was given were VERY snug! After I was completely dressed, I decided that my look was “interesting”! With the transformation complete I walked downstairs or should I say, I nearly slipped downstairs. The shoes had hardly been used and were VERY slippery! Many of the other participants were dressed and waiting outside for further instructions. It was great to see so many wonderful period fashions! I found Judi amongst the crowd and went to her. She looked fantastic! I little too fashionable for me and my outfit! Eventually we were all lined up and ready to play our part in the Festival of Textiles period fashion show. One by one we were summoned to the stage and posed while the commentator described our ensemble. From there we left the stage and walked on the “catwalk” to the applause of the audience. It was all great fun and most enjoyable. As a matter of fact, I am not sure who had more fun, the audience or the participants. My money’s on the participants! Judi and I both enjoyed our experience and we thank Laurie and the Village staff for making us feel part of their big family!

The Month of Fall Fairs…

October is the month of freshly harvested produce, autumn colours and fall fairs! One of the best fairs is coming up soon. The Rockton World’s Fair will be held on October 9-12, 2009! The fair was originally known as the Beverly Agricultural Society Fair. Back then the prize money was a whopping $194.50! Since then the fair has grown and changed and so has its name. So how did it become the “World’s Fair”? The story, according the fair’s website goes something like this, “In 1878 Andrew Kernighan commented that the fair should be called the "World's Fair" because all of the world comes to it. The next day local newspapers carried an article about the fair entitled "The World's Fair at Rockton". In 1966 the fair officially became the Rockton World’s Fair. It may not be a “World’s Fair” as we have come to know them, but is certainly a “world class fair”! The fair now has 500 volunteer members, 1,200 exhibitors and $80,000 in prize money and it hosts over 100,000 visitors! This year’s fair looks bigger and better then ever! From the calf judging to the horse jumping and from The Gathering Place to The Meeting Place, the Rockton World’s Fair has everything a family would want and expect from a Fall Fair! Take a ride back in time and find out why the Rockton World’s Fair is a “world class fair”! Check out their website at http://www.rocktonworldsfair.com/index.htm.

Migration Festival – “With Flying Colours”

It’s hard to believe that almost a year has passed since we traveled to Kingsville for their annual Migration Festival! This year is their 40^th anniversary and the theme of this year’s festival is “With Flying Colours”. It’s a wonderful event because the whole town seems to embrace it and their migration heritage! Last year Judi and I were amazed at how many people, especially the young people, participated in the Migration Parade! If people weren’t riding or walking in the parade, they were sitting o the side of the road cheering on the marchers! Judi and I both feel that this was one of the best parades we have visited! To us, it is obvious that the organizers of this event take a great deal of pride in their town and their favourite son, Conservationist, Jack Miner! The festival kicks off on Friday night with opening ceremonies at the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary. The ceremonies are a tribute to Jack Miner, his beliefs and his devotion to his beloved migrating birds! The next two days, Saturday and Sunday, continue the Festival’s celebration of fun and migration heritage! Migration events include the Saturday morning Migration Parade, the Marketplace located in the Kingsville District High School and the Children’s Festival which takes place, in part, at Kingsville’s beautiful Lakeside Park and Pavilion. One of the newer events is the Outdoor Show. The Show also takes place in Lakeside Park and Pavilion and this year the Festival committee has partnered with Delta Waterfowl Inc. Delta Waterfowl (Delta’s website: http://www.deltawaterfowl.org/) is one of the leading conservation groups in Canada!

If you are looking for something to do this fall that’s fun for the whole family, the Kingsville Migration Festival on October 16-18 is the place to be! Make sure you get there in good time for the Saturday morning Migration Parade! It runs along Kingsville’s Main Street and starts at 10:30 am. Take my word; you won’t be sorry you visited this event! Check out the Migration Festival’s website at http://www.migrationfestival.ca/. It’s 40 year young!

Bayside’s Fall Art Show and Sale…

If you love nature art, there is an art event in October that you will not want to miss! That’s right, one of the worlds most accomplished and collected nature artists, Carl Brenders, is coming to Buckhorn’s Bayside Boutique and Gallery for their Fall Art Show and Sale. Brenders attention to detail is one of the reasons he is so admired by collectors and peers alike! The details in Carl’s paintings are not by chance! As stated in his biography, “Carl spends many hours in the field observing nature and taking countless photographs, not just of animals, but of rocks mosses, grasses and so on for his background.” The exact date of Carl’s visit to Canada^th, 2009. He will be there from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm, signing autographs and talking about nature and his art. His new giclee limited edition prints, “Snow Leopard” and “Talk on Old Fence”, will be there ready for sale and personalization! If you have never been to Bayside Boutique and Gallery, you are in for a big treat when you do! The gallery is located near the village of Buckhorn (north of Peterborough) on Upper Buckhorn Lake! October is one of the best months to travel in this area. The fall colours should be at their best during the show! Don’t forget to bring your camera… for Carl and the Fall Colours! Check out the Bayside website at and the Bayside Boutique is Sunday, October 11http://www.baysideboutique.com.

I understand from Leslie that the original of the "Snow Leopard" painting will be on hand for viewing, plus they have a Show Special for the Snow Leopard print @ $145 regular $195 until September 30^th. This is an opportunity not to be missed!